Healthcare and life sciences drive GCC growth in Hyderabad

Hyderabad has established itself as India's second-largest Global Capability Centre (GCC) hub, capturing a 18.9% share of Gross Leasing Volume (GLV) of India's GCC ecosystem from 2016 to the first half of 2025 (H1 2025). With over 355 GCCs employing more than 200,000 professionals, Hyderabad contributes nearly one-fifth of India's GCC leasing activity, representing a significant trend reshaping India's office real estate sector.

GLV of the city's GCC reached 36.8 million sq. ft. from 2016 to H1 2025, accounting for 52% of overall leasing activity. Over the last 18 months, Hyderabad has witnessed 70+ GCC company inaugurations, the highest figure nationally.

The most striking trend is the growth in GCC leasing in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. From 0.46 million sq. ft. during 2016-2019, pharmaceutical GCC leasing surged to 2.75 million sq. ft. from 2022 to H1 2025, representing a six-fold increase. Interestingly, this sector represented 30% of total GCC leasing in 2024, with H1 2025 maintaining momentum at 0.6 million sq. ft., capturing 29%.

Hyderabad’s commanding presence in the Healthcare and Life Sciences sector sets it apart from other cities. The city houses GCCs for nine out of the world's top 18 pharma, biotech, and medical device companies. The city’s healthcare GCC landscape features global pharmaceutical giants, including Johnson & Johnson, Merck Life Science, Sanofi, GSK, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Amgen, Bayer, and Sandoz. This unique concentration solidifies Hyderabad's position as India's undisputed pharmaceutical GCC capital.

The healthcare and pharma sector also leased 1.9 million sq. ft. from 2024 to June 2025, becoming an increasingly dominant contributor to the city's office absorption.

Figure 1: Industry-wise share of GCCs in Hyderabad (2024-H1 2025)

Source: JLL Research

• Infrastructure excellence: Worldclass IT infrastructure with robust connectivity, modern office spaces in established technology corridors, and an integrated R&D-to-manufacturing ecosystem that supports comprehensive healthcare operations

• Talent ecosystem: Hyderabad hosts over 500,000 technology, R&D, and BPM professionals, including about 200,000-250,000 GCC professionals and 15,000 specialised Life Sciences experts

• Geographic clustering: Pharma GCCs are strategically concentrated in HITEC City and Gachibowli, with Genome Valley serving as India's first organised Life Sciences R&D and manufacturing cluster spanning 300 acres and housing 200+ firms.

• Manufacturing brilliance: Genome Valley integrates research, manufacturing, and innovation. With 800+ pharma companies producing APIs, drugs, biologics, and vaccines, Telangana has established the infrastructure to supports the complete pharmaceutical value chain, including companies like Dr. Reddy's, Biological E, Bharat Biotech, Hetero Labs and many international organisations.

• Policy-driven support framework: The Telangana ICT Policy (2021-2026) created supportive regulatory frameworks to attract investors, along with a dedicated custom GCC policy in development. Telangana's Life Sciences Policy provides 15-25% investment subsidies, 15-day single-window clearances via TS-iPASS and concessional land in dedicated SEZs like Genome Valley. The state offers R&D grants, export subsidies, tax benefits, and streamlined regulatory processes with labour compliance assistance, positioning it as a strategic partner for global healthcare companies establishing operations in India.

The period of 2024 to 2025 has transformed Hyderabad's healthcare GCC landscape, with practically every new healthcare GCC entering India choosing Hyderabad as their gateway city. Novartis established operations in Hitec City in 2018, which created a magnet effect. This subsequently attracted Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Sanofi, HCA Pharma, Amgen, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson.

Healthcare GCCs in Hyderabad have transformed their operations, moving beyond traditional back-office functions to operate as innovation engines that drive AI-powered clinical trials, orchestrate global supply chain, and lead R&D initiatives. This transformation establishes Hyderabad not just as India's second-largest GCC hub, but as the undisputed leader in healthcare GCC innovation and growth.